Latch spindle construction



April 20, 1954 c. A. HILLGREN 2,676,051

LATCH SPINDLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l CAQL A ELL @QEN,

INVENTOR. H/EeA/EE, BEE/J4EE, Wbeea. fHEZ/G,

Arroe/vsys.

April 20, 1954 c. A. HILLGREN 2,676,051

LATCH SPINDLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A v gag-1122i," 'I IIIIII 64m. A. HILLS-GEN,

INVENTOR. 5; A Z/EBA/EQ, BEEHLEQ, 74 0925; fAez/e;

Arroeusns.

Patented Apr. 20, 1954 I U N l TED TAT-ES PATENT OFFICE Liam-on I'S'PIINDLE CONSTRUCTION :Garl AJHillg ren, Huntington-Park, Calif.

Applicationllmrc'niber 7, 1950, Serial No. 194,528

5 Claims. (01192-3589 The application relates -to door hardware and has pa rticular reference to a l'atchset of the type customarily referred to 'as cyl indrical latch sets wherein the operating 'p'arts are-confined to small space almost entirely encompassed I by the knobs tog'ether with a transverse aperture 0f small cross-sectional area clesigned lac-accommodate a particularly compact la' tch mechanism. The appli-oationiis "a continuation-impart of copendin'gapplication' Serial No. 92,107,:fi1edMay 9;, 194:9,11015/ iPatent- NoJZ flGQBSS, issued Decem- 1361115,. 11953.

In .the'assembly and-installation of lock sets or. latchsets, however they may be designated in the trade, thecompetitive character of the business has :made increasing demands upon simplification of the istructureshoth from the point of economy nf manufacture and such economies :as may be effected in :the installation. The usual factors necessitating such improvements 'have been amplified to a great extent by the materially increasing .cost of wages for skilled artisans-and mechanics. Moreover, when articles oi this gen-- eral character are produced on production line methods, assembly operations must Joe-minimized to has great an extent as possible, the n'um ber of parts be reduced, especially those parts requiring assembly :by hand,- and -the assembly.-op-. erationmnst Abe-simplified to the end that-it "can beaqnic'kl-y pemiormed :by persons relatively less skilled than-previously in handling the assembly otsuchimeehanisms.

Also {the of View :of .instal lation 'it has beeniound thatiin-the :case :of look sets or latch sets -=which-have been :constructedwith a great degreeof, precision, the must :of necessity be installed with a corresponding amount of ;precisionlin the wooden door'frame to assure their successful operation. Lack of precision in .a great many'instances 'has meant inefficient operation of'the hardware item because of friction or bindin: of the partswhen the movable parts have been forced into out-of lin'e openings bored'int'o the door material. I

' With a view-"to overcoming thedefects jprevioiisly experienced it is I among the objects "of "the invention to-provide anew and improved'latch set which is especially economicaltomanufaatu-re and'asseinble "andwhich at the same time is particularlyeasy toinstall.

nn'othe1' object-of the invention is to provide anetv and -improved latch set which canbe' read my accommodated to "doors of different thick-- ness without requiring any-chahgein thefstandarizl designor'dimension,

Still ano'therobject of'the invention isto providea new 'and'im'proved latch set or a 'type'permittin-g either handle to be turned independently of the other'and without the "necessity of having the handle 'turnwhi'ch is not "grasped manua-llythereby takingedvantage'of a separable spindle between the handles adjustable 'in an axial direction so that the effective length of the spindle can be "varied and to so "construct the latch set to the end thateac'h partinturn may be suitably anchored to thedoor without it being necessary'f-orthe mechanic to'temporari-ly hold any onepart in place until a succeeding part is attached imposition.

Among still'other objects oftheinvention isto provide a new 'and'improved latch set of the type described herein wherein when the spindle is separable the separate parts will work With completesatisfaction even though holes adapted to receive them'are not made in'precise alignment.

- It is also an objectto provide "both parts "of the separable-spindle of "a "construction such that they 'may "operatesatisfactorily and without binding under conditions wherein the aperture 'for the latchhoixsing not "in "precise alignment or wherein it mayio'e located'n'e-arer i-eith'er side 'of mention depending upon conditions of installation withoiit requiringany-"special a-djustmentof thepartsdfthe'device;

*With'theseand other-objects in'view, the invention consists in the construction, arran-gement and combination 'of the -various parts of the device whereby the'objects contemplated-are attained;ashereirrafter set lorth, pointed out-in the appendedwlaims'arrd illustrated in the accompanying drawings; I I VI the drawings: I I

* ure 1 is a plan-view *of-the-la-tch set in'posrtionina -door= wherein the door shown -sec- Figure' z is a partial cross --sectional view taken on-the'l'ine-2--'2of Figure li I I Fig-fire? an -exploded view iii-perspective showing the -diiferent parts as they appeal-prior to assembly in order that themechanism maybe cleariyu nderstood I I Figirr-ee aperspecti've view-of what may "be termed a stib a'ssembly of- -one part "of "the-separ'ablespiniile."

' Figure 5 a plan view showing the spindle housing and appended knobs partially'in section and showing theloca'tion of't'h'e adjacent end or the latch housing.

insuret asa long'itucinai-sectional view-or the 'iemdvakile' knob and atiiwcent spindle par-t; I

Figure 7 is a plan view of the parts applied to a door of greater thickness than that illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing to a slightly exaggerated degree the position of the parts for successful manipulation wherein holes in the door adapted to receive them have been made slightly out of alignment.

The features described in connection with this continuation in-part application have been set forth in company with a latch set provided with a cylindrical lock and a No. 2,662,388 and are here simplified latch for clarity.

In order to accomplish the objects set forth the structure herein described has been made in a manner such that a housing 10 is provided which may appropriately be termed a spindle housing constructed in such a manner that it completely encompasses the moving parts of the spindle with a rugged housing to the end that even though the housing may be jammed in a .hole bored in the door not in precise alignment, operation of the spindle will not be impaired by binding or friction. Also a latch housing H is made in a similar manner in that the housingis rugged permitting all of the parts within it, which may be of one or another conventional design as desired, to operate properly even though the latch housing may also be slightly out of line. The junction of the latch housing with the spindle housing is made somewhat free and loose fitting as well as adjustable so that even though the hole for the latch housing is nearer one surface or another of the door than it should be, the latch housing connection with the spindle housing readily adjusts itself to the change in either direction. By making the spindle separable, either or both parts may be slightly out of alignment in a simple but because of the somewhat looseness of the ht between them and the character of the cooperation between the spindle and moving portions within the latch housing, all parts continue to function properly.

Specifically the parts of the latch set are designed for incorporation in a door 12 which has an aperture [3 designed to receive the spindle housing. Because the aperture is of large diameter and because of a frequent need for keeping a clean-cut hole on both sides of the door,

it is frequently advisable to bore the hole forming the aperture l3 partly inwardly from one side of the door and partly inwardly from the opposite side of the door. An aperture [4 for the latch housing is edge of the door so that it joins with and communicates with the aperturel3. The location of the strike plate in the door jamb may determine to some extent thelocation of the aperture l4 as being more nearly adjacent one side of the door than the other. Because of circumstances accompanying the fitting of the latch set to the door or lack of skill of the workman, any one or all of the apertures may be slightly out of alignment when made. I

The latch set described herein comprises in addition to the spindle housing a separable spindle having one part l5 cooperating with another part it. The part [5 as best illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 includes a square end I! adapted to have a pressed fit in .a correspondingly apertured plug l8 which is a part of a, handle IS. The plug l8 has a shoulder adapted to bear against the outer surface of an escutcheon plate ,2: whic te m a Pa o h privacy lock in Patent bored inwardly from the 4 spindle housing. The spindle part l5 also has a shoulder 22 adapted to bear against the opposite side of the escutcheon plate so that the spindle part is held in position with respect to the escutcheon plate in which position it is adapted to freely rotate. A decorative shell 23 may be applied over the exterior of the escutcheon plate. It should also be noted that a lug 24 may be made a part of the escutcheon plate or the spindle housing in order to locate it in the aperture 13.

On the opposite side of the door is positioned the spindle part it which is separately mounted in an escutcheon plate 30. The spindle part 16 has a semi-cylindrical element 3| which is adapted to lie within a somewhat larger semi- .cylindrical element 32 on the spindle part l5 and coaxial therewith.

To facilitate mounting of the spindle part 18, this part is made up of two separate pieces, the assembly of which can best be seen in Figure 6. As there shown the outer portion of the spindle part i6 is made of a core 33 enjoining a ring portion 34 presenting a shoulder to the escutcheon plate 30. On the opposite side of the escutcheon plate from the ring portion 34 there is positioned a sleeve 35 which is designed to fit over the core 33 with a sliding fit. In the core 33 is a detent 36 pressed outwardly by a spring 31, the detent having thereon a shoulder 38. To assemble the core and the sleeve the detent is depressed and the sleeve applied over the core until the detent springs outwardly into a hole 39 in the sleeve to a position wherein the outer end of the detent protrudes for some distance beyond the exterior surface of the sleeve. The shoulder 38 limits movement of the detent outwardly. In this manner the spindle part 16 is rotatably secured in the escutcheon plate 30.

-Before the separable spindle is fixed in the door the latch housing II is inserted in place. .As shown in Figures 1 and 3 the latch housing I I includes a latch element or bolt which extends outwardly to engage a conventional strike plate in the door frame. A plate 46 is mounted on the latch housing H and screw holes 41 are provided for the insertion of screws through the plate 46 to secure it in the door. An actuator element 48 extends from the opposite end of the latch housing as the latch 45 and mechanism of a conventional character, not shown, may be provided in the latch housing to cause the latch to be withdrawn when the actuator element is driven into the latch housing. The latch mechanism is of a reciprocating type wherein when the actuator is moved outwardly toward the bolt 45 the bolt is retracted. Rotation of either the semi-cylindrical element 32 of the spindle l5 or the part 3| of the spindle 16 causes one edge or the other to press against the actuator element 48 depending on which way the knobs are rotated. Suitable latch mechanism is illustrated in Patent No. 2,662,388.

In order that the latch housing may be attached to the spindle housing, the latch housing is provided with oppositely disposed transverse recesses 50 shown to good advantage in Figure 2. These recesses are designed to receive inturned edges 5| of the spindle housing H], the inturned edges defining the sides of an open end slot 52 in the spindle housing. In order to accomplish the objects of the invention the transverse recesses are made sufiiciently large to have a rather loose fit withrespect to the in- 5. turned edges to permit a certain freedom ot movement and adjustment therebetween.

When the latch =set isplaced in the-hands or the mechanic who is to install it in a door, the handle 1-9, spindle part and spindle housing ll] are permanently attached together in what may be described as a sub-assembly, the spindle part being so positioned that it rotates freely within the spindle housing. The spindle part i6 is also initially assembled so as to'be rotatably mounted in the escutcheon plate 30. The latch housing II is assembled complete as illustrated in Figure 3.

Assuming that the apertures l3 and 14 arecut into the door, the usual practice is first to insert the latch housing into the aperture I4 and to secure the latch housing therein by wood screws applied through the holes 41 in the plate 4t to the edge of the door. Then the spindle housing to is thrust into the aperture 30 from one side so that the slot 52 encompasses the inside end of the latch housing in a position wherein interned edges 5! slide into the recesses 50 "of the spindle housing. Next the part I6 and-attached escutcheon plate is inserted into the aperture 13 from the opposite side of the door so that the semi-cylindrical parts 3| and '32 'o(: cupy positions overlying each other as depicted in Figures 1, 2 and 5. It should be noted at this point that the door can be-virtually of any thickness within the limits of length of the semicylindr'ical parts so long as-the door is not so thick as to prevent some portion of the'semicylindrical parts from lying beneath the actuator-element 48 which extends beyond the inside end of the latch housing. The decorative plate 40 is then applied over the exterior of the escutcheon plate so and bolts 'or screws, not shown, are applied through the aperture 4| in the decorative plate and 42 in the escutcheon plate and then threadedly engaged in holes 43 in the spindle housing. The bolts or screws are tightened in place and the latch set is mounted in the door except for the application of a removable handle 53. With regard to the handle 5-3 it should be noted that in addition to being applied last, it is provided with a detent aperture 54 atone side of a flange 55 and that the flange 55 is adapted to fit snugly around the outside end of'the sleeve 35. The same detent 35 which is spring pressed to engage the core '33 with the sleeve 35 also serves to engage itself in the detent aperture 54, thereby to retain the handle 53 non-rotatably fixed to the outside end of the spindle part I 6.

- By following the construction herein described and the application of the parts to a door as herein noted, it will become apparent that the entire assembly operation requires only two bolts or screws to hold all of the parts together except that wood screws may in addition be used to hold the latch housing in place.

To illustrate adaptability of the separable spindle tic-accommodate doors of difierent thickness attention is directed to Figure '7 showing a door i2" greater in thickness than the door [2 by a distance A. Precisefy the same latch set parts fit the door iii, the only difierence in assembled position being that the spindle parts do not overlap each other-for quite the same distance as illustrated in Figure 5. Th door may even be still wider without the parts becoming so far separated as to be unworkable. Any thickness at all between maximum and minimum dimensions can be accommodated by the latch set.

its iiiustraited in Figure 8 occasions may evise wherethe1-mechanic in drilling-the aperture 13 may nothavethe axes of the apertures-in precise alignmenton both sides of the door. It imight also be that the surfaces or the door under some circumstances are not precisely parallel. -'Other conditions m-i'g-ht occur to force the axis of the spindle part it out of alignment with the axis 61 =of the spindle part it. The mis'align merit is i illustrated in slightly exaggerated term in Figure 3 to show how the parts -=operatesuccessfully regardless ofth-is misalignment. Under those circumstances the semi-cylindrical parts 3-1 and 32, being of such a loose 'fit relative to each 'otheryrrray be mounted cocked at an angle one from the other but there will be .nobinding betweenthe-parts sutlicient to restrict rotation-oi either handle because of the looseness of "fit of the parts. --At the same time rotation oieither handlecausing-rotation of either semi-cylindrical part is 'su-fiicient to depress the actuator element '48 moving it in a direction to release "the latch 15. The latch can be released just as long "as any "portion of the -semi-cylindrical elements l ie beneath the actuator;

Still other occasions may arise where the axis 52 of the-aperture M is not in true perpendicular alignment with either-or both of the axes '69 or 5!. Should this occasion arise even to the extent suggested by Way of example in Figure 8, the latch will still be capable of successful'operation by both handles. Wh-at'accomplishes'this is the .loose fit of the inwardly extending edges "5! within the recesses 50, thereby permitting some deviation from "a perfect aiignment between the latch housing and the axis of the spindle. Under the circumstances last defined even if there should be somebinding 'between'the exterior or the latch housing "i1 and any'part of the door itself, it will not affect operation of the mechani cal parts inside the housing since they are entirely free from binding. This remains 'true'ev'en though there may be a bindin action between the inwardly turned edges 5! and the recesses '56. Whether or not the axis of the latch housin is out of 'alignmentwith either or both of the axes of the spindle parts has no detrimental effect on manipulation of the latch by both handles.

Further still, in the event of a changed thickness of the door, for example, the axis 62 may "be shifted nearer one side of the door than the other and may or may not be in precise perpendicular relationship to the axis of the spindle. The location of the aperture 4&3 may be delib erately moved nearer one side than the other, depending on the location of a strike plate in the door frame. Regardless of the shift in .positionlaterally, the latch housing will continue to engage the spindle housin somewhere along the length of'the inwardly turned edges 5|. Regardless of the location, theactuator element will be in position opposite so'me'portion of both "of the semi-cylindrical parts of thespindle .in which event rotation of either or ibothhandles will successfully manipulate the latch 45. I

From the foregoing description it will be clear that the parts of the cylindrical'latch 'set herein described may be made relatively simple and need not 'be manufactured or machined to any considerable degree of accuracy. But relatively few sub-assemblies need be made in the factory, namely, the sub-assembly of the latch parts, the sub-assembly of the spindle housing with the spindle part on one side, and thesub-assembly of the escutcheon plate 36 with the spindle part on the other side. These parts in the hands of ajcarpenter or cabinet maker are readily assembled ina door wherein they can be assured of successful operation under many and varied circumstances regardless of door thickness, accidental misalignment of apertures or intentional shift of the aperture for the latch housing. Because of lack of necessity of precisely aligning the apertures, the installation work can be performed with far greater rapidity and economy than would overwise be possible. Economy is further increased by provision of the spring pressed detent which serves the double function of assisting not only in the sub-assembly of the escutcheon plate 39 with the spindle part I6 but also the attachment of the knob 53 thereto.

While the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cylindrical latch set the combination of a spindle housing having a spindle cavity and a longitudinally extending slot communicating with said cavity, a transversely disposed latch housing having a loosely slidable engagement in said slot with the spindle housing, said latch housing having an actuator thereon, recess means on one of said housings and edge means on the other of said housings extending throughout all positions adapted to be occupied by said latch housing, said edge means loosely and slidably engaging said recess means for the adjustable retention of said housings in engaged relationship, and a spindle member having an actuator engaging face long enough to reach beneath said slot in all positions of the latch housing thereon, said spindle being mounted to extend through said spindle housing to a position disengaged from but in potential direct contact with the actuator and adapted upon rotation to engage the actuator on said latch housing.

2. A latch operating mechanism comprising a separable spindle member adapted to accommodate doors of different thicknesses, said spindle member comprising endwise extendible separate parts each having an end for attachment to a knob and a free end, said parts being adapted to be set at different positions of adjustment, an inner latch operating end on each part having a latch operating face extending from a free end thereof throughout a length in excess of the length needed to overlie the corresponding latch operating end of the other part at any selected position of adjustment, said latch operating faces being positioned adjacent each other and inde: pendently rotatable through a' latch actuating movement one with respect to'the other. I

3. In a cylindrical latch set for a door having a transverse spindle aperture" betweenopposite sides of the door and an intersecting edgewise extending latch housing aperture adapted to receive a latch housing the combination of a spindle housing adapted to be anchored within said spindle aperture, a separable spindle comprising parts-,Jeach having a free end adapted to extend into the door toward the free end ofthe other part, each part having a latchengaging face extending from said free end inwardly and overlying the latch engaging face of the other part, one of said parts being rotatably secured within the spindle housing, the other of said parts being adaptedto be positioned on the door independently of said spindle housing, said spindle housing having a longitudinal latch housing receiving-slot of uniform width in a wall thereof and said slot having an open end, said spindle housing having latch housing engaging side elements at the sides of said slot extending throughout a distance corresponding to the overlying portions of said latch engaging faces.

4. In a latch spindle construction for operation with a latch bolt assembly having a semicylindrical spindle aperture therein, the combination of a spindle housing adapted to be anchored within the door, a separable endwise extendible spindle member adapted to accommodate doors of different thicknesses, said spindle member comprising two endwise extendible parts having free ends of each part adapted to extend toward each other when applied to the door and one of said parts being permanently attached to the spindle housing, one of said parts havinga semi-cylindrical element of smaller curvature relative to the other of said parts and extending from the free end thereof substantially throughout the length of said one part and the other of said parts having a semi-cylindrical element of relatively greater curvature than said one part andextending from said free end of said other part substantially throughout the length of said other part, said parts having positions loosely overlying each other and independently rotatable one with respect to the. other.

5. In a latch spindle construction the combination of a door face engaging member on each side, a separable endwise extendible spindle member adapted to accommodate doors of different thicknesses, said spindle member comprising two endwise extendible parts, each said part having one end adapted to extend through one of said door face engaging members for securement to a knob and a free end adapted to extend toward the free end of the other part, one of said parts being rotatably mounted on one of said door face engaging members, one of said parts having a latch actuating element extending inwardly from said free end, the other of said arts having a latch actuating element rotatably mounted in theother door face engaging member and extending inwardly from said free end thereof and overlying the first latch actuating element, each latch actuating element of both said parts including at least one latch actuating edge and said edges lying normally adjacent each other, said parts being iiiiagependently rotatable one with respect to the 0 er:

References Cited in the file of this patent 

